While learning a new JJ Cale song to play on my guitar I came across 'Whippporwill' I'd never heard of such a thing so I looked it up and lo and behold, I found this amzing little creature referenced too in no less than Forty Five different songs. On delving deeper I found that it lives in Central America all the way up to Southeastern Canada, likely why we don't sing about them down here. Though I am not a great believer of superstition, its call is said to be a harbinger of death much like the Local Ruru or Morepork, they even look and sound similar, not surprising as they are from the same class.

Magnolia by JJ Cale

Whippoorwill’s singingSoft summer breezeMakes me think of my babyI left down in new orleans

[quote=olly]We also have moreporks here (at least on the mainland, not sure about Tassie. They are also called mopokes. Both names are onomatopoeic of their mournful call.

Some of them are non-rhotic and some aren't.

Actually I heard an American today on the radio pronounce 'environmental' non-rhotically. Even an Aussie wouldn't do that. It was weird. What kind of US accent would that be? The pronunciation was something like 'envionmental' or even 'eviomennal.'

Before I had looked at the link I thought about how overhere owls are said to be the harbingers of death. When I looked at the bird it seemed like a very small owl to me and checked it.(cute birdie)OwlThey are almost identical, though one bigger that the other.(down from infraclass they differ)

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